Posts Tagged ‘experiment’

David Hockney's 'Pearblossom Hwy', photographic collage of a Californian highway from 1986

As I got a couple of books of David Hockney’s work for Christmas I’ve had the chance to dig his work even more than usual. In particular I’ve very much enjoyed reading through the conversations in the newly released book A Bigger Message: his thoughts on photography have been a good companion on my (nebulous, goddamn never ending) trip to working out what it is that I want to do and achieve with the camera. I’ve also found it really refreshing to read someone who’s less concerned with discussing photography as an obstacle to objective seeing and is instead more interested in the tenuous relationship that it has with the fragmented, higgledy piggledy way in which we actually comprehend what’s in front of us with our eyes:

“A photograph sees [The Grand Canyon] all at once, in one click of the lens from a single point of view, but we don’t. And it’s the fact that it takes us time to see it that makes the space.” p.143

“We think the photograph is the ultimate reality, but it isn’t because the camera sees geometrically. We don’t. We see partly geometrically but also psychologically. If I glance at the picture…on the wall over there , the moment I do it becomes larger than the door. So measuring the world in a geometrical way is not that true.” p.53

It’s hard not to be influenced with his work after seeing it. This is a photo collage of my girlfriend’s room that I made a few days ago for her birthday card. Click on the image for a bigger version of the design. It’s nice to play!

There was (and still is) the radio single, but now there is the long-form online music video. No longer do directors and artists need to adhere to MTV guidelines.

It’s great to see that the effect that online media is having on established forms of expression. I am particularly impressed with the way that YouTube is allowing the music video to evolve because of new watching occasions. This new 10 minute music/film by the much lauded NY rapper Pharaohe Monch is a great example of why independent artists no longer have to do things by the book anymore.

I’m sure the music industry is watching hard at fantastic bits of work like this. Successful experiments like the below stand by themselves:

I would also recommend watching Romain Gavras’s video for MIA’s song Born Free as another example of this new type of music video, although that said the content is not something that I’m in favour of at all: it’s pretty cynical, particularly in its use of violence.